By publishing clear guidelines on the detection of forced labor risks and offering insights into how complex financial transactions and shell companies can obscure illicit practices, Moody's enhances transparency and accountability in global supply chains. This proactive approach supports ethical business practices and reduces the risk of supply chain complicity in modern slavery.

Forced Labor Risk: Key Considerations for Compliance

By linking credit ratings to ESG factors and emerging regulatory risks, Moody's plays a structural role in incentivizing companies to invest in sustainable practices. This approach can have a positive economic influence by promoting investments in green technologies and sustainable supply chains, aligning with progressive economic reforms.

Moody's: How Supply Chain ESG Rules are Reshaping Business

The disclosed $100,000 lobbying expenditure by Moody's Corporation falls under the category of Political Contributions and Lobbying Efforts. While the issues addressed include some progressive topics like climate risk and community reinvestment, the action still represents corporate political influence, which from an anti-fascist, left‑leaning perspective can undermine democratic accountability by prioritizing business interests. This engagement is therefore assigned a negative score.

Lobbying Update: $100,000 of MOODY'S CORPORATION lobbying was just disclosed

By emphasizing due diligence and transparency in supply chain practices, Moody's report aligns with efforts to combat human rights abuses such as modern slavery and forced labor. The proactive use of GenAI for risk monitoring further underscores a commitment to ethical business practices, which from an anti-fascist perspective promotes accountability and safeguards against authoritarian exploitation in global supply chains.

Top 3 supply chain risk-related trends for 2025 - Moody's

The dismissal of the racial and age discrimination lawsuit suggests that Moody’s upheld legally compliant employment practices under challenging circumstances. Although the firing and vaccine inquiry could raise concerns in the context of worker rights, the court’s ruling indicates that the company’s actions met legal standards, reflecting a moderate, positive score from an anti‑fascist labor rights perspective.

Moody's Beats Worker's Race Bias Suit on Vaccine-Question Firing

The statement details structured executive political engagement through its GPRA team with transparent reporting to the Board and compliance with lobbying disclosure laws. While active in political engagement, the transparent framework and oversight help preserve independence and ethical behavior, contributing positively from an anti-authoritarian standpoint.

PDF Statement - Moody's

The data reveals that a significant fraction of Moody's lobbyists were formerly government employees, suggesting entrenched ties between the corporation and the political establishment. This revolving door practice can facilitate undue influence and is problematic from an anti-authoritarian, democratic oversight standpoint.

Moody's Corp Profile: Summary • OpenSecrets

The disclosure demonstrates Moody’s commitment to protecting employee and supply chain human rights by providing accessible reporting channels, thorough investigation processes, and protections against retaliation. These practices contribute positively by ensuring ethical business conduct and safeguarding labor rights, aligning with anti-fascist principles of dignity and accountability.

Moody's / Sustainability-related disclosures / Business conduct

By releasing a whitepaper that offers data-driven frameworks and actionable insights to assess and mitigate forced labor risks within supply chains, Moody's demonstrates a commitment to ethical business practices. This initiative supports anti-authoritarian measures by promoting transparency and accountability in global supply chains, helping organizations recognize and address modern slavery. While informative and potentially impactful, the effort is focused on awareness rather than direct remedial action, leading to a moderate positive score.

Understanding forced labor: Key insights and solutions

Moody's lobbying expenditure of $700,000 demonstrates a significant use of corporate funds to influence political processes. From a left‑leaning anti‑fascist perspective, such spending is often seen as a way to secure favorable policies and undermine democratic accountability, potentially contributing to authoritarian practices.

Moody's Corp Lobbying Profile • OpenSecrets

Although Moody's refrains from making political contributions or maintaining a PAC, its active registration as a lobbying entity and significant lobbying expenditures indicate a strategic use of corporate political influence. Such lobbying efforts, even when transparently reported, can contribute to the broader corporate capture of policy-making, undermining democratic accountability from an anti-fascist perspective.

PDF Moody's Corporation's 2021 U.S. Political Engagement Report

The Human Rights Statement underscores Moody's commitment to treating employees with dignity, enforcing ethical conduct, and ensuring that suppliers adhere to similar standards. This proactive stance promotes a positive and inclusive work environment, aligning with anti-fascist and progressive values.

Moody's Corporation - Human Rights Statement